Tyrese Maxey Is Already Taking Jared McCain Under His Wing

It is weird to think about Tyrese Maxey as a leader and a veteran. It still feels like he is the young guy on the team. The young upcoming star. But in reality, he is the 2nd most tenured player on the Sixers. This will be his 5th season, and besides Embiid, no one has been here longer than him, including the coach. It means that Maxey not only has the pressure to be a superstar this season, he has the pressure to be a leader. It seems he is already taking that step though. Nick Nurse joined Sixers in 60 this week and talked about how Tyrese Maxey is already taking Jared McCain under his wing. "He said he was going to take him under his wing and, and, get them going, and they're good dudes. And I'm sure Tyrese will be able to impart a lot of wisdom to those guys." -Nuck Nurse Tyrese Maxey Becoming A Leader One of the criticisms of the Jared McCain pick is that he is very similar to Tyrese Maxey. He is an undersized guard and a great shooter. There is concern that the two might struggle to share the same floor. Related: Nick Nurse On The Versatility Paul George Brings To The Sixers However, one upside is that there are few players better to help McCain adjust to the NBA. Maxey has already been there as a young small guard in the NBA. We saw him work on his defense last year and saw real improvement. He is still not a great defender, he might never be at his size. But he improved a part of his game that he struggled with. We also saw him thrust into a spot to be a playmaker before he was ready. Both when Ben Simmons was traded, and when James Harden was traded. Maxey is not a natural point guard, he still isn't. But the team needed him to do something, and he did it. McCain won't have to do that. He might barely see the floor this season. There are no expectations for him because of the nature of the roster. But being able to learn from Maxey will go a long way to helping McCain when he eventually does get on the floor. We have already seen he is a capable playmaker in the Summer League. Will that translate to the NBA? Who knows? We will have to wait and see. But he has the best teacher he could ask for in Tyrese Maxey. Watch Bob Cooney live on the 97.5 The Fanatic YouTube page on Weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.